There’s an app for that! English language learners and teachers can now take Ben and Moby on the go with the newly launched app offering BrainPOP ESL on Android.

The latest addition to our suite of mobile learning apps features mobile access to BrainPOP ESL’s animated movies, which model conversational English; related features that reinforce vocabulary, usage, and pronunciation; and quizzes so students can test their understanding of what they’ve just learned. It offers 18 free lessons across beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, as well as in-app purchase options for additional content. BrainPOP ESL site subscribers can log in directly from the app and access all 90 of its leveled lessons at no extra charge.

]]>http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2014/06/30/brainpop-esl-now-android/feed/0#Mobyliza! BrainPOP Español, Colombia, and Youhttp://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2014/02/18/mobyliza-brainpop-espanol-colombia/
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2014/02/18/mobyliza-brainpop-espanol-colombia/#commentsTue, 18 Feb 2014 11:30:40 +0000http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/?p=43475Connect with fellow educators a continent away – from the comfort of home! All you need is the hashtag #mobyliza. In its most ambitious mobile learning project to date, the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will provide the country’s students with more than a million tablets, all pre-loaded with vetted educational resources including the BrainPOP Español Película del Día app. The BrainPOP Español team is on the road right now in Colombia, participating in a seven-city tour the Ministry set up to train teachers on the tablets and their newly available suite of tools. Ultimately, the initiative will reach about 90 percent of the country. We think the best source for great teacher tips is teachers themselves. So we’re inviting you to help bolster our training efforts through Twitter and #mobyliza: in English or in Spanish, welcome your Colombian counterparts to the BrainPOP family and share some of your best practices. Give them a few examples of what you do with BrainPOP; tell them which areas of the sites you turn to the most; let them know how well kids respond to Moby. You might also ask students to participate. Have them tweet questions about life in Colombia.... See more»

Connect with fellow educators a continent away – from the comfort of home! All you need is the hashtag #mobyliza.

In its most ambitious mobile learning project to date, the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will provide the country’s students with more than a million tablets, all pre-loaded with vetted educational resources including the BrainPOP Español Película del Día app. The BrainPOP Español team is on the road right now in Colombia, participating in a seven-city tour the Ministry set up to train teachers on the tablets and their newly available suite of tools. Ultimately, the initiative will reach about 90 percent of the country.

We think the best source for great teacher tips is teachers themselves. So we’re inviting you to help bolster our training efforts through Twitter and #mobyliza: in English or in Spanish, welcome your Colombian counterparts to the BrainPOP family and share some of your best practices. Give them a few examples of what you do with BrainPOP; tell them which areas of the sites you turn to the most; let them know how well kids respond to Moby. You might also ask students to participate. Have them tweet questions about life in Colombia. Describe something indigenous to your town or a place you’d take a Colombian class if they visited. In turn, we’ll be asking the teachers in Colombia to tweet you, so be sure to follow #mobyliza, @BrainPOPEsp, and @brainpop on Twitter. We look forward to your ideas!

]]>http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2014/02/18/mobyliza-brainpop-espanol-colombia/feed/0Text Demands and Best Practice for Leveling Bookshttp://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/video/text-demands-and-best-practice-for-leveling-books/
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/video/text-demands-and-best-practice-for-leveling-books/#commentsWed, 15 May 2013 10:51:05 +0000http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/?post_type=video&p=28961Language arts teachers know that leveling books is both art and science. In this webinar, Kathy Burdick, president of Mobile Learning Services and developer of textdemands.com, discusses various approaches. She’ll explore different leveling systems, quantitative and qualitative text attributes, and the dangers that arise when using an incomplete diagnostic system. Originally Recorded May 2013

Language arts teachers know that leveling books is both art and science. In this webinar, Kathy Burdick, president of Mobile Learning Services and developer of textdemands.com, discusses various approaches. She’ll explore different leveling systems, quantitative and qualitative text attributes, and the dangers that arise when using an incomplete diagnostic system.

]]>http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/video/text-demands-and-best-practice-for-leveling-books/feed/0BrainPOP’s Dr. Kari Stubbs Featured on Daily Edventureshttp://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2013/04/17/brainpops-dr-kari-stubbs-featured-on-daily-edventures/
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2013/04/17/brainpops-dr-kari-stubbs-featured-on-daily-edventures/#commentsWed, 17 Apr 2013 09:17:00 +0000http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/?p=28600Last year, Dr. Kari Stubbs was recognized as one of Daily Edventures’ global heroes in education and they’ve recently caught up with her again for an update on BrainPOP’s work, her thoughts on the intersection of education and technology, and future trends. Daily Edventures is an education-centered blog that has a focus of identifying inspiring advocates for education, 365 days a year. The site’s editor, Anthony Salcito, is Vice President of Education for Microsoft Corp.’s Worldwide Public Sector organization and works with education institutions around the world to facilitate optimal use for technology in learning environments. Head on over to read about Kari’s thoughts on mobile learning and BYOD environments, and catch a short screencast of BrainPOP’s Windows 8 app in action. She also goes on to discuss the growing popularity of game-based learning and BrainPOP’s ability to meet these new demands for educational games with GameUp. Kari’s interview further includes news on BrainPOP’s future plans for more individualized instruction, as well as an audio clip of her discussing BrainPOP’s recent work around education and technology. We have a lot of exciting plans on the horizon, so be sure to check back often for updates!

Last year, Dr. Kari Stubbs was recognized as one of Daily Edventures’ global heroes in education and they’ve recently caught up with her again for an update on BrainPOP’s work, her thoughts on the intersection of education and technology, and future trends. Daily Edventures is an education-centered blog that has a focus of identifying inspiring advocates for education, 365 days a year. The site’s editor, Anthony Salcito, is Vice President of Education for Microsoft Corp.’s Worldwide Public Sector organization and works with education institutions around the world to facilitate optimal use for technology in learning environments.

Head on over to read about Kari’s thoughts on mobile learning and BYOD environments, and catch a short screencast of BrainPOP’s Windows 8 app in action. She also goes on to discuss the growing popularity of game-based learning and BrainPOP’s ability to meet these new demands for educational games with GameUp. Kari’s interview further includes news on BrainPOP’s future plans for more individualized instruction, as well as an audio clip of her discussing BrainPOP’s recent work around education and technology. We have a lot of exciting plans on the horizon, so be sure to check back often for updates!

]]>http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2013/04/17/brainpops-dr-kari-stubbs-featured-on-daily-edventures/feed/0BrainPOP comes to Windows 8 and Windows RThttp://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2013/02/18/windows-8-and-brainpop/
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2013/02/18/windows-8-and-brainpop/#commentsMon, 18 Feb 2013 11:00:55 +0000http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/?p=26630It's with pride and excitement that BrainPOP has released a new app for Windows 8 and its sidekick Windows RT for use on mobile devices such as the Microsoft Surface. Our Windows app highlights the. . .

It’s with pride and excitement that BrainPOP has released a new app for Windows 8 and its sidekick Windows RT for use on mobile devices such as the Microsoft Surface. Our Windows app highlights the “tiled” beauty of the operating systems, incorporating an elegant look into the topic search and quiz features, while providing a gorgeous two toned blue sunburst background. It’s simply pretty to look at!

The Windows app is available free of charge and provides access to the featured movie of the day. Featured movie topics tie in to current events, historical milestones and figures, holidays, and more! Additionally, current site subscribers can log in directly from the app to access all of BrainPOP’s award-winning content at no additional cost. This is a great benefit for school subscribers who want to provide access to BrainPOP content on Windows device that students may have at home!

So, if you’re using Windows 8, download the app from the Windows 8 store and let us know what you think! After all, “the more you know, the more you know!” (and the more we want to know!)

]]>http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2013/02/18/windows-8-and-brainpop/feed/0Guest Blogger: Angela Kiser Shares Her Experience Using the BrainPOP Apphttp://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2013/01/18/guest-blogger-angela-kiser-shares-her-experience-using-the-brainpop-app/
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2013/01/18/guest-blogger-angela-kiser-shares-her-experience-using-the-brainpop-app/#commentsFri, 18 Jan 2013 11:04:39 +0000http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/?p=24933Angela Nixon Kiser is a National Board Certified Teacher who works tirelessly to provide interactive and meaningful learning in a technology enriched classroom. She provides technology tips, fun, and advice through a collaborative blog called www.techieteachertales.blogspot.com If you missed her post on BrainPOP Educators last week, be sure to check it out here! I have one iPad in my classroom. How do you use one iPad with 26 greedy little fingers dying to get their hands on the technology? I think that is one of the biggest mountains to climb in our world of learning. I have researched numerous websites and blogs looking for helpful tips just to keep the growl of “my turn” to a patient whisper. So I endeavored to explore what many sources suggest. Adding the iPad into your center (or stations if the students are older) rotation. Easy enough, right? I would have hoped so, but it had its kinks. I encountered a kink with the length of time each child, in the group of four, would spend with an app. The first few center rotations became problematic primarily due to the game I featured for the week. Not every student played and not every student even touched... See more»

Angela Nixon Kiser is a National Board Certified Teacher who works tirelessly to provide interactive and meaningful learning in a technology enriched classroom. She provides technology tips, fun, and advice through a collaborative blog called www.techieteachertales.blogspot.com If you missed her post on BrainPOP Educators last week, be sure to check it out here!

I have one iPad in my classroom. How do you use one iPad with 26 greedy little fingers dying to get their hands on the technology? I think that is one of the biggest mountains to climb in our world of learning. I have researched numerous websites and blogs looking for helpful tips just to keep the growl of “my turn” to a patient whisper. So I endeavored to explore what many sources suggest. Adding the iPad into your center (or stations if the students are older) rotation. Easy enough, right? I would have hoped so, but it had its kinks.

I encountered a kink with the length of time each child, in the group of four, would spend with an app. The first few center rotations became problematic primarily due to the game I featured for the week. Not every student played and not every student even touched the iPad. I found myself managing time more than aiding the students who came to me for their intervention or re-teach.

Apps and tablet devices are revolutionizing the classroom. There are so many apps to use in education, but there are times I fail to find an app that correlates to the skill or is relevant and meaningful. I do have a few tried-and-true apps that the students love to revisit.

One of those tried-and-true apps is the BrainPOP app. I stumbled upon the app through I conversation with one of my students. She and I were casually discussing the latest video when she mentioned how she loved using the app to look at the daily video and watched videos on trips. I was immediately curious about BrainPOP’s app. Why did I not know about the app? So, off I went to the iPad and there it was. Moby’s face smiling back at me as if saying, “We have been waiting for you”. I then spent the evening doing what every techie teacher does when he or she finds software, an interactive website, or apps. I explored and played. More like played, but who doesn’t when they find something cool to use with their kids. I had found another app to place in the rotation of the iPad station.

The BrainPOP app was instantly successful in the iPad station. Students are able to pair up with ear buds as they watched the video together. Students are also able work through the quiz with their partner when I allow partner discussion. My students easily find their assignment on the detailed step by step task card that is provided at the station.

A bonus feature is the app is the quizzing. After the students take the quiz, it is required to save their data so I can analyze their progress. Saving and retrieving their scores has become a viable tool for my progress monitoring. At the end of the day, I simply pull up the scores that had visited the station. I can easily see who I may have to speak to about their score or to “high five” someone who did an amazing job.

Now I have to get my hands on one of those head phones multiport devices, so all four kids that go to that station can watch the video together!

]]>http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2013/01/18/guest-blogger-angela-kiser-shares-her-experience-using-the-brainpop-app/feed/0ALTEC Mini-Conference: Mobile Learning, Curriculum Integration and Best Practiceshttp://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/12/13/altec-mini-conference-mobile-learning-curriculum-integration-and-best-practices/
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/12/13/altec-mini-conference-mobile-learning-curriculum-integration-and-best-practices/#commentsThu, 13 Dec 2012 11:19:46 +0000http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/?p=24318On Friday, December 14th, ALTEC will be hosting a mini-conference at the University of Kansas School of Education building in Lawrence, KS. Focusing on mobile learning in the classroom, this action packed day will engage educational technology leaders in sharing what mobile learning strategies and tools are successful in schools. Breakout sessions will be led by teachers, administrators and technology directors from Kansas districts implementing mobile learning solutions. Our very own Kari Stubbs, Vice President of Learning and Innovation, will be presenting “Forward Thinking: A Look at the Ed Tech Horizon” at 11:00 AM. This session will focus on the path that education technology will likely take over the next five years. Taking a look at the Horizon K12 report, a go-to resource by leaders in education technology, Kari will discuss the report findings, including both trends and challenges in the field on the foreseeable horizon. She’ll focus on the collaborative process that is used by experts across the world to develop the findings each year, as well take a close peek at two of the predicted technologies – Mobile Devices & Apps and Game Based Learning – to see evidence of those predictions. If you won’t be an attendee at the conference, you can... See more»

On Friday, December 14th, ALTEC will be hosting a mini-conference at the University of Kansas School of Education building in Lawrence, KS. Focusing on mobile learning in the classroom, this action packed day will engage educational technology leaders in sharing what mobile learning strategies and tools are successful in schools. Breakout sessions will be led by teachers, administrators and technology directors from Kansas districts implementing mobile learning solutions.

Our very own Kari Stubbs, Vice President of Learning and Innovation, will be presenting “Forward Thinking: A Look at the Ed Tech Horizon” at 11:00 AM. This session will focus on the path that education technology will likely take over the next five years. Taking a look at the Horizon K12 report, a go-to resource by leaders in education technology, Kari will discuss the report findings, including both trends and challenges in the field on the foreseeable horizon. She’ll focus on the collaborative process that is used by experts across the world to develop the findings each year, as well take a close peek at two of the predicted technologies – Mobile Devices & Apps and Game Based Learning – to see evidence of those predictions.

If you won’t be an attendee at the conference, you can keep up on the action with #mlearnku.

]]>http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/12/13/altec-mini-conference-mobile-learning-curriculum-integration-and-best-practices/feed/02012 mEducation Alliance International Symposiumhttp://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/09/06/2012-meducation-alliance-international-symposium/
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/09/06/2012-meducation-alliance-international-symposium/#commentsThu, 06 Sep 2012 10:57:24 +0000http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/?p=23178The Mobiles for Education Alliance has made it their goal to provide low-resource and developing countries access to appropriate, scalable, and low-cost mobile technologies. Committed to improving learning outcomes in all levels of formal and nonformal education, the Alliance supports the identification and application of mobile technologies that can be used to address pressing educational issues such as literacy, professional development for educators, and accessibility for learners with special needs. The 2012 mEducation Alliance International Symposium is happening right now in Washington, DC! This year, the mEducation Alliance is highlighting how successful partnerships can be leveraged to improve learning outcomes through the use of mobile technologies. BrainPOP is proud to provide a mobile friendly service and our very own Dr. Kari Stubbs, Vice President of 21st Century Learning, was given the honor of co-presenting a session titled: In Focus- Partnering for Basic Education Quality Improvement. If you’re interested in learning more about the symposium, visit their site or check out #mEd2012 to see what the Twitterverse is saying.

The Mobiles for Education Alliance has made it their goal to provide low-resource and developing countries access to appropriate, scalable, and low-cost mobile technologies. Committed to improving learning outcomes in all levels of formal and nonformal education, the Alliance supports the identification and application of mobile technologies that can be used to address pressing educational issues such as literacy, professional development for educators, and accessibility for learners with special needs.

The 2012 mEducation Alliance International Symposium is happening right now in Washington, DC! This year, the mEducation Alliance is highlighting how successful partnerships can be leveraged to improve learning outcomes through the use of mobile technologies. BrainPOP is proud to provide a mobile friendly service and our very own Dr. Kari Stubbs, Vice President of 21st Century Learning, was given the honor of co-presenting a session titled: In Focus- Partnering for Basic Education Quality Improvement. If you’re interested in learning more about the symposium, visit their site or check out #mEd2012 to see what the Twitterverse is saying.

]]>http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/09/06/2012-meducation-alliance-international-symposium/feed/0BrainPOP and the 2012 Podstock Conferencehttp://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/08/23/brainpop-and-the-2012-podstock-conference/
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/08/23/brainpop-and-the-2012-podstock-conference/#commentsThu, 23 Aug 2012 10:24:18 +0000http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/?p=22896BrainPOP Superstar Educator, Andrea Keller, Reflects on the Podstock Conference The middle of July marked the 4th annual Podstock Conference in Wichita, Kansas. Podstock is that conference that once you go, you will keep going back. I have to say that I am a Podstock Original. Why do people come to Podstock? As their website says, “So what is Podstock? It’s a tech integration conference. But it’s more than a conference. It’s conversation. It’s family. It’s a bunch of cool folks getting together to learn more about how to improve education. And we’ll use whatever it takes -technology, PBL, gaming, online tools . . . we’ll try anything as long as it helps kids learn. Podstock is about creativity, about inspiration, about what’s good for kids. Our formal and informal conversations change how we do school.” The conference is already on my calendar for next year (July 17, 18, and 19, 2013). Podstock is a voice, family, and friendship, and is so much more than just a conference to me. It is a family with the same ideals. It is those who are making a change or who want to make a change to give all of our students the... See more»

The middle of July marked the 4th annual Podstock Conference in Wichita, Kansas. Podstock is that conference that once you go, you will keep going back. I have to say that I am a Podstock Original.

Why do people come to Podstock? As their website says, “So what is Podstock? It’s a tech integration conference. But it’s more than a conference. It’s conversation. It’s family. It’s a bunch of cool folks getting together to learn more about how to improve education. And we’ll use whatever it takes -technology, PBL, gaming, online tools . . . we’ll try anything as long as it helps kids learn. Podstock is about creativity, about inspiration, about what’s good for kids. Our formal and informal conversations change how we do school.”

The conference is already on my calendar for next year (July 17, 18, and 19, 2013). Podstock is a voice, family, and friendship, and is so much more than just a conference to me. It is a family with the same ideals. It is those who are making a change or who want to make a change to give all of our students the passion and belief in something greater than ourselves.

This year I had a chance to host a session for one of the AWESOME sponsors! I got to share the crazy-cool, ins and outs of BrainPOP during the BrainPOP-o-Rama. Participants were introduced to all of the FREE resources that they feature and had a chance to play some games through GameUp. BrainPOP offers online learning at its best! I was able to share both BrainPOP apps, BrainPOP Educators, and all of the great resources that BrainPOP has to offer (attendees loved the option of closed captioning for the videos!). So, go check out those hip, groovy, educational GameUP games and BrainPOP apps and have a rocking year!

]]>http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/08/23/brainpop-and-the-2012-podstock-conference/feed/0BrainPOP Now Has Android Apps!http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/08/10/brainpop-now-has-an-android-app/
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/2012/08/10/brainpop-now-has-an-android-app/#commentsFri, 10 Aug 2012 10:30:45 +0000http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/?p=22591BrainPOP is now more mobile- and BYOD-friendly than ever before with the recent Android debut of all our apps! We’re pleased to announce that you can access BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., and BrainPOP Espanol on any Android device AND, best of all, these apps are FREE! With the BrainPOP Featured Movie app, you can watch a different animated movie every day and then take the accompanying interactive quiz. Changing every Monday, the BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week app gives you the opportunity to view a different BrainPOP Jr. movie each week. We’ve even included the featured quiz, Pop-a-Joke, and Belly Up comic for each movie! Whether you’re fluent in Spanish or just learning the language, we’ve got you covered with the BrainPOP Español Película del Día app. Learn something new every day- in Spanish!- and complete the interactive quiz after watching the movie. Our Android apps are perfect for taking the BrainPOP gang on the go or using in a mobile-friendly and BYOD classroom and are available on Google Play. If you’ve already got a username and password for BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., or BrainPOP Espanol, you can log in and access all of the content directly from the corresponding app... See more»

BrainPOP is now more mobile- and BYOD-friendly than ever before with the recent Android debut of all our apps! We’re pleased to announce that you can access BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., and BrainPOP Espanol on any Android device AND, best of all, these apps are FREE!

With the BrainPOP Featured Movie app, you can watch a different animated movie every day and then take the accompanying interactive quiz. Changing every Monday, the BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week app gives you the opportunity to view a different BrainPOP Jr. movie each week. We’ve even included the featured quiz, Pop-a-Joke, and Belly Up comic for each movie! Whether you’re fluent in Spanish or just learning the language, we’ve got you covered with the BrainPOP Español Película del Día app. Learn something new every day- in Spanish!- and complete the interactive quiz after watching the movie.

Our Android apps are perfect for taking the BrainPOP gang on the go or using in a mobile-friendly and BYOD classroom and are available on Google Play. If you’ve already got a username and password for BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., or BrainPOP Espanol, you can log in and access all of the content directly from the corresponding app at no additional cost.